Tuna Salad - Hold the Mayo

Tuna Salad - Hold the Mayo

Article excerpt

Cooks in Tuscany have long considered tuna, cannellini beans, and
garlic as partners in the kitchen. This set me to wondering if a new
version of tuna salad could be created using this time-honored
combination of ingredients.

So I took some cannellini beans and gave them a swirl in the food
processor with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Voila! I had a creamy
and savory binder for tuna salad.

I dumped this in a bowl and added tuna, chopped hard-boiled egg,
onion, capers, green olives, and parsley. What a fine sandwich
filling it made stuffed into a hard roll along with a handful of
spinach.

Besides being a flavor booster, the cannellini beans mixed with
olive oil are a stable substitute for mayonnaise. Sandwiches can be
toted to school or on picnics without refrigeration being required.

Mix fresh and zesty seasonings with the starter recipe of tuna,
cannellini beans, garlic, and oil, and the result is a tuna salad
far superior to the mayonnaise-laden kind Americans are accustomed
to.

Cannellini beans and tuna pair well with a variety of bold and
pungent flavors such as cilantro, capers, olives, and fennel.

My general rule is to add something tart (such as lemon juice,
lemon zest, or chutney) and something crunchy (such as celery,
pickles, or red pepper), along with herbs and other pantry staples.

I've provided a few of my family's favorite variations. No doubt
you'll come up with more ideas of your own.

The starter recipe can also be the basis for converting most tuna-
salad recipes into richer versions. No more soggy, limp sandwiches
when the time comes to unpack your brown bag or picnic basket.